How to Set Up a Brother Wireless Printer

Written by laura crawford-adiletta| 13/05/2017

Ditch the cables with a Brother wireless printer. (usb cable image by Horticulture from Fotolia.com)

Brother International was established in 1954 and continues to sell home office and business products. Its 2010 line-up of wireless networking-capable printers includes five distinct models. Though you can also set up these printers using a network cable, all of these models will allow multiple computers to print to the same location without any physical connection. It is moderately difficult to set up your Brother wireless printer, and you will need to know your network security settings.

Gather information related to your network security settings, which can be found on the network configuration sheet of your wireless access point (WAP) or wireless router.

You must have an SSID or network name, the encryption method (such as WPA or Open System), the WEP key (if necessary), the WPA-PSK pass phrase (if necessary) and the printer's MAC address (if you wish to control network access using the MAC address).

Close the front cover of the printer and power off the printer.

Hold down the "Go" button, located on the top left side of the printer, as you power the printer back on. Continue holding the button until the "Toner," "Drum" and "Error" diodes, located above the "Go" button, light up. Release the button, which will cause the diodes to turn off.

Press the "Go" button eight times. The "Ready" diode will flash while you are pushing the "Go" button and remain lit when you have completed the cycle.

Reset your printer network card by repeating Steps 3 and 4, but push the "Go" button seven times rather than eight times. You must complete the cycle within five seconds to reset the network card.

Hold down the "Go" button for about 15 seconds. Release it once the printer prints a network configuration page.

Wait one minute, then press the "Go" button three times to print a printer settings page. Only three pages should print; if your printer produces an extra page, you must reset the printer network card again. Confirm the version of the printer, located on the first page of the printout. It will either say "CONT. ROM VERSION 1.07" or "CONT. ROM VERSION 1.09." Only printers version 1.09 or above can connect wirelessly.

Open a web browser and type the IP address of the printer (located on the printer settings page you printed in Step 7) into the address field. Press "Enter" to display the Brother Web Management screen.

Click on "Network Configuration," located in the top centre of the page. Enter the user name "admin" and the password "access" and click "OK." Click "Configure Wireless," the fourth bulleted link from the bottom. Change the communication mode to "Infrastructure."

Click "Browse." Select the radio button next to the SSID name and click "OK." Next, select the corresponding authentication method from the drop-down list. Select the correct encryption method. Enter the HEX WEP code or pass phrase, depending on your authentication method. Click "Submit."

Look for a screen indicating that the settings have been updated. Wait one minute, then repeat Step 7 for a fresh print settings printout. On the last page, confirm that the IP address is assigned via DHCP, the communication mode is set to "Infrastructure," the SSID matches your access point or router and

the wireless link status says "Link OK."

Install any drivers on your individual computers, if you haven't already done so, and follow the set-up wizard to access the printer locally.

Tip

These instructions are for Windows XP users. The process is generally the same for Windows Vista and Windows 7, though some file paths may have been condensed (which should make it easier, not more difficult, for you to access the same destination folders). If you have network cables, it is simpler to set up a Brother wireless printer for the first time by physically linking the printer with your network.

Tips and warnings

These instructions are for Windows XP users. The process is generally the same for Windows Vista and Windows 7, though some file paths may have been condensed (which should make it easier, not more difficult, for you to access the same destination folders).

If you have network cables, it is simpler to set up a Brother wireless printer for the first time by physically linking the printer with your network.